After beginning Romeo and Juliet, I began to recognize certain characteristics in some of the characters, especially Benvolio. He is a very calm, peace-keeping, individual and friend of Romeo. In any of the scenes that include conflict, he suddenly appears, trying to convince his friend or ally to calm down and not to fight. I connected with him on a similar level of 'peace-making'. Out of my friends, I am the person who makes sure everyone and everything is all good; everyone happy, not mad because of some pointless drama. That is ideally what I want for all of my friends, that everyone gets a long and is content. Benvolio wants something very similar, but he interacts with his friends when things turn violent. Besides seeing Benvolio's character, I have also seen the conflict in Romeo and Juliet's romance. With the unreasonable conflict between their families, I see it almost impossible for them to be together. I know that they will some how find a way to solve their troubles, but I see it almost a mistake. If you are enemies with someone, would you not stay enemies and stay true to your family morals? This may just be the romance though, making them commit these foolish 'sins', but I would probably follow the same path as them if I were in their shoes. Even though it would be a dumb act because of love, I would only do the same as the desperate couple, because if the love is strong enough, then it would be the only option that I would see open. Also, with this 'forbidden romance' between Romeo and Juliet, I've noticed a very feminine side to Romeo. He does not relate to most boys of his age now, because he seems to be very vulnerable and very emotional. The guys now (at least in the freshmen class) are all emotional and hormonal like Romeo, but in a sense that does not let you see their 'soft side' very often.
I am really happy with the way we are reading Romeo and Juliet at home, because it gives us (especially myself) an extra opportunity to comprehend the play in a different way than any of the other novels we had read this year. With being able to annotate and read to myself at home, it gives me a better understanding when we are able to read outloud at school, as well as annotate because it gives you yet another way to interpret the text. Also, with the help of Ms. Smith, I definitely feel like I am able to reach my goal of understanding and actually enjoying the play. So thank you, I really love the way we are doing class right now.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Wrapping Up Great Expectations
The overall message I thought was never turn your back on the ones who love you. First of all, Pip's family (Mrs. Joe, Joe, and Biddy) were always there for him, even when it seemed the most like they weren't. Without them, Pip really would not have gained the 'knowledge' from them. Plus, he saw how their lives were, and wanted to make a better life for himself. Once he turned his back on them, Pip never really truly felt guilty about it until he realized that he had treated Joe terribly, but Joe still loved him with all of his sweet heart. Pip had to go through many things, to realize that once you lose your family, there's never really any chance that you will get them back. Luckily for him though, Joe and Biddy both welcomed him with open arms as well as naming their first born child after him! If Pip would not have had such a supporting and caring family, he never would've been able to get back to his feet after becoming sick as well as broke.
How I connected the moral of the book to myself, I realized this: last year, I decided to skip out on a family birthday to go and hang out at my friend's house. After I came back home the next day, no one would talk to me. I went about for the next couple of days without anyone in my house addressing me, or even looking at me. I realized that I had completely messed up, that I had blown off something much bigger than a friend's birthday. Little did I know that that would have been my great-aunt's last birthday before she died last fall due to double breast, lung, and brain cancer. I really truly am grateful though, because after I apologized to my entire family as well as my great-aunt, they accepted my apology and realized that I seen my wrong-doing as something to never repeat. I, like Pip, have a loving and supportive family that I love very much.
How I connected the moral of the book to myself, I realized this: last year, I decided to skip out on a family birthday to go and hang out at my friend's house. After I came back home the next day, no one would talk to me. I went about for the next couple of days without anyone in my house addressing me, or even looking at me. I realized that I had completely messed up, that I had blown off something much bigger than a friend's birthday. Little did I know that that would have been my great-aunt's last birthday before she died last fall due to double breast, lung, and brain cancer. I really truly am grateful though, because after I apologized to my entire family as well as my great-aunt, they accepted my apology and realized that I seen my wrong-doing as something to never repeat. I, like Pip, have a loving and supportive family that I love very much.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Thoughts on Great Expectations
I was not a fan of the book at all. The ending definitely made the decision for me; it was boring, inconclusive, and overall just an unsatisfying close to a very long story. One major disappointment was the fact that Pip and Estella did not end up together. I am pretty sure that a lot of people would agree with me on that on . Even though I did not thoroughly enjoy the book, I believe it helped me evolve as a better student. One thing I did notice was at times, I could read for hours. Then, at other parts I could hardly stay awake and had to keep forcing myself to sit down and read. The storyline was a classic one, one I could personally relate to. As a child, each kid has a dream. You start out as wanting to be an astronaut, or a ballerina, or a fireman. As you grow older though, you take into account your strengths and weaknesses and what job you can apply them to. Also, you eventually convince yourself that you are completely satisfied with the life you are living and wish nothing more but to continue living that way. It is a sad but true fact, one that Dickens captures perfectly in Pip. Pip's life story was one with many turns! I have to admit, I didn't guess the answers to any of the mysteries before they were revealed. I was surprised by each and every outcome.
Honestly, reading Great Expectations was a chore for me for the majority of the novel. I usually ended up reading late at night after I had finished my homework, so I didn't absorb much compared to if I sat down and had more time like on the weekend, with nothing occupying my mind. Each time I sat down, I would force my eyes along the page so that I could finish and go to sleep. Only when I reached an exciting part did I get lost in the story. I wish that we could have read less each night, because for me it would have been much more enjoyable and less tedious. It was all very achievable unless I didn't understand somethin. I tried looking on Sparknotes, but the site doesn't add details and is sometimes wrong. I would end up forgetting what I didn't understand, which would lead to further confusion later on. Another thing that slowed me down was annotating. I strongly dislike having to stop reading every 45 seconds, get out my pencil, and shove a little sticky note into the book. It required so much hassle that I would usually lose my place and have to start at the beginning of the page again. I began simply writing in the book with pencil--I am not looking forward to erasing it all! I understand that it is important to mark important events in our books for later reference, but it reduces what I absorb during my reading sessions! I wish there were another way to keep track of certain places in the story without distracting myself and making it impossible to get lost in the Pip's world.
Honestly, reading Great Expectations was a chore for me for the majority of the novel. I usually ended up reading late at night after I had finished my homework, so I didn't absorb much compared to if I sat down and had more time like on the weekend, with nothing occupying my mind. Each time I sat down, I would force my eyes along the page so that I could finish and go to sleep. Only when I reached an exciting part did I get lost in the story. I wish that we could have read less each night, because for me it would have been much more enjoyable and less tedious. It was all very achievable unless I didn't understand somethin. I tried looking on Sparknotes, but the site doesn't add details and is sometimes wrong. I would end up forgetting what I didn't understand, which would lead to further confusion later on. Another thing that slowed me down was annotating. I strongly dislike having to stop reading every 45 seconds, get out my pencil, and shove a little sticky note into the book. It required so much hassle that I would usually lose my place and have to start at the beginning of the page again. I began simply writing in the book with pencil--I am not looking forward to erasing it all! I understand that it is important to mark important events in our books for later reference, but it reduces what I absorb during my reading sessions! I wish there were another way to keep track of certain places in the story without distracting myself and making it impossible to get lost in the Pip's world.
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